Pregnant
and Considering Adoption:
The Process
Making the Decision
Intake Evaluation
Selecting an Adoptive Parents
Making the Adoption Plan
Surrender of Parental Rights
Post-Placement and Legal Finalization
Making the Decision
The adoption process begins with learning about the different
types of adoption available to you, understanding the legal process
of adoption, considering the parenting options for your child
and then making the decision about whether you wish to parent
your child or make an adoption plan for your child. This decision
is likely to be the most difficult decision you have ever made
and Bright Futures understands that while you are making this
decision you will probably experience emotional ups and downs.
You may feel lonely, scared, overwhelmed, guilty, confused or
anxious. Bright Futures provides counseling and support during
your decision-making process at no charge, regardless of the decision
you make.
Bright Futures will assist you in beginning the adoption process
with an Orientation Packet. The Orientation Packet will include
information about different types of adoption, alternatives to
adoption, birth parents' rights, starting the adoption process,
working with Bright Futures and copies of forms that you will
be asked to complete that will help you begin to consider your
feelings about adoption. top
Intake Evaluation
Once you have decided to make an adoption plan for your child
(or while you are deciding), a social worker from Bright Futures
will meet with you to discuss your specific needs, desires and
concerns about adoption and what type of adoption is right for
you. The social worker will also help you assess your current
situation and make a service plan for you that addresses your
needs. The service plan will address issues such as those set
forth in the next few sentences. If you would like to have counseling,
the service plan will indicate how often you wish to have counseling,
who will provide the counseling and where the counseling will
take place. If you need financial assistance to pay for doctor
or hospital visits, the service plan will indicate how often you
are going to the doctor, the expectation for your hospitalization
and who will pay the expenses. If you need assistance with housing,
living or transportation expenses, the service plan will indicate
what your needs are and how they will be addressed. The service
plan will also indicate who will provide you with legal counsel
in connection with surrendering your parental rights and who will
cover those legal costs.
Once you have decided to make an adoption plan for your child,
you will also need to think about what information your child
might need or want in the future about you, your family and your
medical history. In order to establish a sense of who they are
and where they came from, children need information about their
background. Bright Futures will send to you a Birth Family Medical
Information Form and a Birth Parent Social and Family History
Form and assist you in completing them as fully and accurately
as possible. The information contained in these forms will be
passed on to the adoptive parents you are working with so that
they can make it part of their family history and so that it is
available to share with your child as he or she grows older and
begins to ask questions about you and your family. top
Selecting the Adoptive Parents
Once you have completed the Intake Evaluation and we have a sense
of what your needs are and what type of adoptive family you would
like to have parent your child, Bright Futures will provide you
with pictures and letters from adoptive families that have been
approved by Bright Futures and share your needs and expectations
about the adoption (including expectations about the racial, cultural
or religious identity of the child, ongoing contact, and financial
ability/needs). You will then have the opportunity to select the
family or families that you would like to get to know better.
After you have had the chance to ask questions and speak with
the adoptive parents, you will be allowed to identify the family
that you want to work with to make an adoption plan for your child.
Although Bright Futures will work hard to match your child with
the family you select, by law Bright Futures is required to make
the final decision about whether the placement is in the best
interests of the child. top
Making an Adoption Plan
Once you have identified an adoptive family you can begin to build
a relationship with the adoptive parents and assess whether you
would feel comfortable having them parent your child. If you and
the adoptive parents feel comfortable with one another, Bright
Futures will help you to develop an adoption plan that is comfortable
for you, and for the adoptive parents. Making the adoption plan
will include discussion of all of the details relating to the
planned adoption, including what degree of openness is appropriate,
what will happen when the baby is born, what your needs are and
which expenses the adoptive parents will be expected to pay, and
what type of ongoing contact each of the parties wants to have
after the baby is born. During this process, Bright Futures will
be available to provide counsel and to assist you in managing
your relationship with the adoptive parents. top
Surrender of Parental Rights
Once your baby is born, it is time for the legal process to begin.
In order to place your child with the adoptive parents you have
selected, you will need to surrender your right to parent your
child. This means that you will be asked to sign a "consent" or
"surrender" that says that you wish to surrender your child to
the care and custody of Bright Futures for the purpose of adoption.
In Massachusetts, the "consent" or "surrender" cannot be signed
until at least the fourth day after your baby is born. In Massachusetts
the "consent" or "surrender" must say that it is final and cannot
be revoked. This means that once you sign the "consent" or "surrender"
you may not change your mind and decide to parent your baby. When
you sign the "consent" or "surrender" you will sign it in front
of witnesses and a notary public who will confirm with you that
you are signing voluntarily and that no one has forced you to
sign. If your baby is born in another state, the rules about when
a "consent" or "surrender" can be signed, what the "consent" or
"surrender" might say, where the "consent" or "surrender" must
be signed (some states require a surrender to be made in front
of a judge), and whether you have a right to change your mind
after you sign the "consent" or "surrender" will be different.
Bright Futures will work with you to be sure that you have an
attorney in the state where your baby is born to help you understand
the process and result of a voluntary surrender in your state.
top
Post-Placement and Legal Finalization
After you sign the "consent" or "surrender," your part in the
legal process is finished and your baby may be placed with the
adoptive parents you selected. In certain situations it is possible
to place your baby with the adoptive parents prior to signing
the "consent" or "surrender" as long as the adoptive parents understand
that your decision is not final until you sign the "consent" or
"surrender" and that you may still change your mind and decide
to parent your baby.
After your baby is placed with the adoptive parents, there is
generally a period of time before the adoption can be finalized
in court. Rules vary greatly from state to state with respect
to this post-placement period and the process of legal finalization.
The law of the state where the adoptive parents live will usually
control the post-placement period and the legal finalization process.
If the adoptive parents live in Massachusetts, there is a six-month
post-placement waiting period. During that time, a social worker
from Bright Futures will visit with the adoptive family once a
month to assess how the placement is working. Based on these visits,
Bright Futures will complete a monthly report setting forth the
developmental milestones of the baby, the family's adjustment
to the role of parent and adoptive family, and the social worker's
conclusions about the appropriateness of the placement. At the
conclusion of the six-month period, a Petition of Adoption can
be filed with the Probate and Family Court Department of the Trial
Court. At the hearing on the Petition of Adoption, the judge will
confirm the adoptive parent(s)' commitment to parenting the child
and sign the adoption decree finalizing the adoption. top
